Reports on five studies which investigated reading for pleasure. Finds that this reading is characterized by within-text reading rate variability, is more arousing physiologically than other waking activities, and gives readers a feeling of control. Also finds that the Fog Index of readability predicts readers' preferences and difficulty rankings.…

This article reports some cautions to consider when too much emphasis is placed on phonic instruction, especially with adolescent and adult learners. The importance of developing automaticity in word identification and fluency in reading rate is discussed. Six specific procedures designed to improve reading fluency are outlined. (Author/CT)

Describes two experiments which demonstrate improvement in reading speed as a result of an uncomplicated BASIC computer program which automatically assigns phrase structure to grammatical sentences to produce syntactically formatted text. Both experiments indicate poor readers are aided by this type of format. (MBR)

Investigates whether improved fluency and comprehension across different stories in repeated reading depend on the degree of word overlap among passages and whether repeated reading is more effective than an equivalent amount of nonrepetitive reading. (HOD)

Presents six diagrams that describe what happens when a text is read. (HOD)

Introduces middle and secondary school teachers to wordless picture books and discusses how such books can be used to alleviate students' lack of reading fluency. Provides a list of wordless picture books that appeal to older students. (FL)

This paper describes the investigation of a computerized measure of reading rate as measured by the new Nelson-Denny Reading Test CD-ROM (1993). This study addressed three aspects of validity: (1) score comparability between reading rate measured by the computer version and the paper-and-pencil version; (2) concurrent validity with reading…

Describes a study of 115 college students enrolled in a reading improvement program and an equal number of control students. Significant gains in mean grade point average in reading rate, and in reading efficiency are reported for those students who entered the program reading between 200-250 words per minute. Bibliography. (MD)

Concludes that double spaced reading materials with verified right hand margins had a desirable effect on comprehension for a population of educable mentally retarded pupils. (RW)